Gritty Bennett misses BMX final

Published 7:00 pm, Wednesday, August 20, 2008

BEIJING - Despite a dislocated left shoulder, three-time world champion cyclist Kyle Bennett, of Conroe, was able to race in the BMX semifinals Thursday at the Beijing Olympics.

However, Bennett finished sixth in his round, not qualifying for the gold-medal final. Only the top four in each semifinal advanced to the main event, which was won by current world champion Maris Strombergs, of Latvia.

“I was just thankful I was even able to get out there and race,” said Bennett, a three-time world BMX champion.

Bennett, who suffered the injury in Wednesday’s qualifying heats, was one of the first riders at the track Thursday for warm-ups, after which he pronounced himself able to race. He has battled pain and soreness in the shoulder since going down in a nasty crash that occurred after Dutch rider Raymond van der Biezen lost control in front of him while exiting a turn.

Bennett ran over van der Biezen’s bike, fell awkwardly and remained on the track for several minutes. Bennett eventually pedaled across the finish line, holding his left arm to his chest.

The dislocated shoulder was put back in place by a physician. Afterward, Bennett tried to give his shoulder as much rest as possible before the semifinals.

“It’s really sore,” said Bennett prior to the semifinals.. “Tomorrow (Thursday) I’ll warm up, see how it feels and do an assessment after that. The main thing is going to be doing a gate. I use so much of my upper body to pull at the start, that’ll be the main concern. I don’t want to go out there and just race the race. I want to be able to compete, compete to win.”

Another crash doomed his chances Thursday. In the third and final semifinal heat, two riders went sideways, costing Bennett valuable time. He finished the three-race series with 14 points; only those with 13 and less qualified.

Bennett finished fifth in each of his first two heats during the semifinals, trailing Andres Jimenez, of Colombia, by two points (10-8), for that fourth and final spot into the finals.

Ironically, Bennett wound up with 14 points, the same as vander Biezen.

“Hey, man, I’m just happy to be a part of all this and being a part of history,” Bennett said.

Bennett’s mother, Donnell Purse, was proud of his effort Thursday.

“After I saw the crash I didn’t think he would race, but it’s the Olympics and he wanted to give it his best shot and that’s all I can ask,” she said. “I’m glad he represented our country whether or not he won a gold medal.”

Purse expects her son to seek a berth in the 2012 Olympics.

“I know how strong-willed he is and how much he loves to ride his bike. That’s what drives him. … he loves to ride.”

Bennett’s U.S. teammates Mike Day and Donny Robinson won the silver and bronze medals, respectively. Day and Robinson finished first and third, respectively, in the same semifinal as Bennett.